Starred review in School Library Journal for Friend Me

I was rushing to make dinner last week, when I had one last look at my email. A thrilling message had just arrived from my editor at Scholastic, Emily Seife: my debut middle-grade novel Friend Me had received a starred review for the audiobook version, from School Library Journal.

A star means that an experienced children’s book professional, such as a librarian or bookseller, had listened to the book and found it be outstanding in its category. You’ll be able to read the full review in the upcoming March / April issue of School Library Journal, but here are a few quotes from the review:

“A suspenseful novel that takes a not-so-distant futuristic approach to online bullying and mean girl behavior.”

“Middle school students will all be able to relate to the characters in this book. The ease of being able to bully someone from the privacy of a screen is a form of bullying many kids today are experiencing or witnessing.”

“Narrator Katy Davis gives Roisin a relatable voice and creates a suspenseful tone through the narrative’s prose. VERDICT A valuable addition to any middle grade audiobook collection.”

Meet the voiceover artist

Katy Davis; photo by Yasmin Kateb

Actor Katy Davis is a Dublin native like Friend Me’s main character Roisin and is the voice of the audiobook. Katy’s other work includes Motherless Brooklyn (2019), Troopers (2019) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). From the instant I heard Katy’s audition, I knew she was perfect for Roisin.

Katy joined us from Los Angeles for this interview: listen as she describes how she approached the role of Roisin and the challenge of voicing more than a dozen other characters in Friend Me:

My thanks to Friend Me voiceover artist Katy Davis, audio production team Paul and Melanie Gagne at Scholastic Audio, and reviewer Erica Coonelly at School Library Journal for the star!

Pick up a copy of the Friend Me audiobook here or request it at your library with ISBN ISBN 9781338673241, 1338673246 (listen or find a library copy of Friend Me here on Overdrive.)